Swag

ARTICLES ABOUT SWAG BY DATE - PAGE 2

One of the fastest, best - and cheapest - ways to add some zing to your look this season is to twist a scarf around your neck. Lightweight, seasonal scarves are everywhere, starting at just a few dollars at giant retailers like Old Navy, Target and Wal-Mart. But how to wrangle this hunk of fabric into shape? Many of us have mastered the basics and they're the looks you see most often - on the stars in People Magazine as well as on real people at the coffee shop and on the bus. They're easy to do and don't require much thought.

Part canny self-promoter, part insane person, cult rapper Lil B is either hip-hop's next mainstream sensation or the Rebecca Black of self-made rappers, depending on whom you ask. Born Brandon McCartney, the BasedGod (a nickname he links to positivity and self-affirmation), by his own estimation, has recorded about 1,500 songs, many of which are loopy, repetitive freestyles layered over borrowed beats and disseminated through mix tapes. Much of B's work is more interesting than it is good, with a tendency toward casual misogyny and attention-grabbing, Google-search-count-goosing songs about his resemblance to random celebrities.

WASHINGTON — A month out from his marriage, Chicago chef Art Smith finds himself in hot water after The Washington Post reported that companies wanting to place products in the swag bags going to his guests were being hit up for big bucks. Smith, 50, will tie the knot with artist Jesus Salguerio, 49, in Washington on Aug. 21. Same-sex marriages began here in March. In an interview Tuesday, Smith said Hollywood-based GBK Productions approached him to put together the gift bags and that he agreed.

Who says the NCAA is a Grinch? Not only do the players in this season's bowl games get that memory of a lifetime, they can walk away with up to $500 worth of goodies and not violate any collegiate rules. So with that in mind, can you match the game to the goodie? (Items shown are not necessarily the actual gifts.) A. Alamo Bowl, San Antonio B. Humanitarian Bowl, Boise, Idaho C. Outback Bowl, Tampa, Fla. D. GMAC Bowl, Mobile, Ala. E. Emerald Bowl, San Francisco F. Texas Bowl, Houston G. Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu H. Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

Dan Brewer Junior, University of Chicago Laboratory School What's your nick name? DB What's your favorite Restaurant? Harold's Chicken Shack What I love: My dogs Spencer and Wolfie. And money. What's your worst habit? Being forgetful If my life were like a movie, it would be ... "Blue Velvet." I hate: Papayas. They taste like vomit. What superpower do you want? I would want to be able to control gravity. If I became world famous, it would be for: Making the world's best sandwich Can't live without: Hot giardiniera My friends would describe me as: The swag master Secret Talent: I can spit 8 feet What's your dream job: An artist -- Reported by Alex Barber, University of Chicago Lab School

Here at RedEye, we're planning something so cool that we can't talk about it. But it doesn't mean you can't figure it out. All week, there will be puzzles and clues in the paper, at our blog at redeyechicago.com/blog and on our Twitter accounts @redeyechicago and @redeyenow. Look for one of these icons every day. It'll tell you that there's something to solve on the page. E-mail in your solution to redeyetalk@gmail.com with your contact information. If you're the first person, you'll win some RedEye swag.

Love Fox's "Glee," and love RedEye? Oh boy, it's time to get giddy. The fall premiere of Fox's "Glee" doesn't air until Sept. 9, but 10 lucky readers can watch it on Sept. 3, at RedEye in downtown Chicago. And, you'll walk away with "Glee" swag! Just visit our "Show Patrol" blog at redeyechicago.com/glee and tell us about your most awkward, mean-girl or embarrassing high school moment. Hey, don't complain. We could have made you videotape yourself singing "Don't Stop Believing."

Lollapalooza has a reputation as the granddaddy of all music festivals, but its on-again, off-again history makes it more like a great-uncle once removed. The real McCoy -- the longest-running annual tour on our oversaturated musical landscape -- is the slightly lesser known Vans Warped Tour, which this summer celebrates its 15th consecutive year showcasing a carnival of punk, hardcore and skatecore bands ranging from relatively unknown newbies to flagship forefathers. Warped's Chicago date, Saturday at Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, features a whopping 72 bands (for those of you keeping score at home: Lolla averages 35 acts a day)